Relating to a program to provide assistance for certain retail electric customers.

SB 1513 creates an income-based assistance fund within Texas' general revenue to help low-income retail electric customers. It mandates that the Health and Human Services Commission automatically identify eligible low-income customers and share this data with electric providers, cooperatives, and municipally owned utilities that offer customer choice. These entities must then provide a fixed discount on electricity bills (in addition to any local programs) and automatically enroll eligible customers, with the state reimbursing them from the fund. The bill specifies that the fund can also cover one-time bill payment assistance for critical care residential customers facing disconnection. This program applies only to electric providers operating in areas with customer choice, excluding municipally owned utilities or cooperatives that do not offer such choice.